Lago di Braies (Lake Braies): how to visit

Lago di Braies is the lake with the wooden boathouse, green water and the pale wall of the Croda del Becco (Seekofel, 2,810 m) at the far end. It sits at 1,496 m in the Prags valley of South Tyrol, where it goes by its German name, Pragser Wildsee. A landslide dammed the valley stream to form it, and it is up to 36 m deep.

It is also about 35 km from Lake Misurina, which is why this guide exists. If you are staying at Misurina or Cortina, Braies makes an easy half day, and plenty of visitors do both lakes on the same trip.

The catch is access. Visitor numbers got so high that the valley now limits cars in high summer, and you need to plan around that.

Lago di Braies access rules in 2026

These are the 2026 rules from the Prags tourist office (prags.bz) and South Tyrol’s tourism site, checked in October 2026.

Period	Cars	Buses 442 and 439
1 July to 15 September, 9:00 to 16:00	Online booking or transit permit only	Online booking and payment required
Same dates, before 9:00 or after 16:00	Free to drive in	Online booking still required
Rest of the year	No restrictions, no booking	No booking, pay on board (cash)

During the regulated window you can still arrive on foot, by bike or by public transport. Online car bookings open in early June. In summer 2026 the combined ticket cost €44: a full-day transit permit, a guaranteed parking space and a €22 voucher to spend in the valley’s restaurants and shops. The voucher only comes with an advance booking, not a same-day one.

Arriving before 9:00 is allowed. It does not guarantee you a space, though, and spaces are limited. They are P4 (about 100 m from the lake), P3 (about 300 m) and P2 (about 800 m), and all of them charge. On the busiest days you can pre-book P1 lower down and ride a shuttle up.

From 16 September the special rules end and you can drive in at any time. The tourist office says the regulation is expected again in summer 2027, with details published in spring 2027. Book through prags.bz, the valley’s official site.

Getting there by bus

Line 442 runs from Dobbiaco (Toblach) and Villabassa (Niederdorf). In high season line 439 also runs from Monguelfo (Welsberg) station. Between 1 July and 15 September both need an online booking with payment, Mobilcards and guest cards are not valid, and once a bus is full you cannot get on it. From 16 September you buy a ticket on the bus in cash, with no reservation.

Both lines start in the Val Pusteria, so from Misurina you first need to get to Dobbiaco, about 20 minutes’ drive north.

Walking around Lake Braies

The shore path is easy. Bergwelten measures it at 3.8 km with about 100 m of up and down and rates it as an easy family walk; other guides give 3.5 to 4 km. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours with photo stops.

The west shore is flat. Once you round the far end, under the Croda del Becco, the east shore path climbs over steps and short steeper stretches. Wear shoes with some grip.

If you want more than the loop, Braies is the start of the Alta Via 1, the long-distance trail that runs south through the Dolomites to Belluno. See the best hikes in the Dolomites for the Braies circuit alongside other walks.

Boat hire on Lago di Braies

Wooden rowing boats leave from the boathouse (La Palafitta), first come, first served. In 2026 the season ran from 25 April to 1 November. From 20 June to 6 September the first boat went out at 8:00 and the last at 18:00, with shorter hours either side. Each boat takes up to five adults, children included.

When we checked in October 2026, the operator’s price list and its FAQ gave different figures for the same 45-minute boat, so we are not printing a price. Check la-palafitta.com on the day. You cannot bring your own boat or paddleboard.

Lago di Braies from Lake Misurina

By car the trip is about 35 km and takes 40 minutes to an hour. From Misurina you drop north to Carbonin, follow the SS51 through the Val di Landro past Lago di Landro, join the Val Pusteria at Dobbiaco and turn up the Braies valley. Routing tools say 37 minutes; mountain traffic in July and August adds to that.

A good one-day pairing from Misurina:

1. Drive to Braies early, before 9:00, or book a permit for later.
2. Walk the loop and, if you like, take a boat out.
3. Drive back past Lago di Landro, where a viewpoint near the lake looks up to the Tre Cime.
4. Finish with an evening walk around Lake Misurina, when the day-trip coaches have gone.

Do it the other way round if you have a booked slot for the Tre Cime toll road, which starts just above Misurina. The how to get to Lake Misurina guide covers buses and parking at the Misurina end.

For more lakes within an hour of Misurina, including Antorno, Sorapis and Dobbiaco, see the Dolomites lakes guide.

Tours that combine Braies and Misurina

Without a car, the simplest way to see both lakes is a day trip from Venice. The listings we checked in October 2026 differ a lot in how long they give each lake:

• Dolomites, Lake Braies and Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Bea Vita Tours): about 70 minutes at Misurina, a 1.5-hour walk at Braies, then Cortina. Eight seats.
• Lakes of Braies, Misurina and Cortina with drone (UltraRock): a guided hour at Misurina, 1.5 hours at Braies and a Tre Cime photo stop.
• Complete tour of the Dolomites to Braies (UltraRock): an hour at Misurina, then Braies, a farm stop and Cortina.
• Dolomiti, Lake Braies and Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Esse Group): a popular Braies day with Cortina and a Tre Cime viewpoint. Treat it as a Braies tour: Misurina is only a five-minute photo stop.
• 3 Peaks of Lavaredo and Lake Braies, private: starts in Misurina, hikes about two hours from Rifugio Auronzo, has lunch back in Misurina, then circles Braies.

There is also a one-hour photo shoot at the Braies boathouse with a local photographer, which does not go to Misurina. Our tours page lists every trip we checked, and the Venice to the Dolomites guide compares day trips with going by bus.

Lago di Braies in autumn and winter

Mid-September onwards is the easy time to visit: no booking, buses without reservations, and rowing boats until 1 November in 2026. The best time to visit the Dolomites guide has the month-by-month picture.

In winter only the right-hand side of the shore path is open, and the tourist office forbids walking on the frozen lake. You need winter tyres or chains for the valley road.

Good to know

• The Rai 1 TV series Un passo dal cielo was filmed on the shore in 2010 and has aired since 2011.
• The lake sits in the Fanes-Sennes-Prags nature park. Keep to the paths.
• The Prags tourist office is on +39 0474 748 660.
• If Braies is full, Lake Misurina has a flat shore walk of its own, about 2.6 km round, and the Lake Sorapis hike starts at Passo Tre Croci just south of it.